It's just always something...

[MrJim]

ATLANTA, Georgia -- Gospel singer BeBe Winans, a celebrity judge on BET's "Sunday Best" show, was charged this week with assaulting his ex-wife last month during an argument about their children.

Gospel singer BeBe Winans accused of assault on ex-wife

Do you ever get dizzy from the nonstop parade of Christian celebrities' public fails? Over the 20 something years as a believer it has gotten to the point that the more famous a Christian is the less likely I'm to pay any attention to them...and that's just prejudice on my part

 

[ladyt28]

I don't think they are any more prone to failure than the rest of us - it's just so many more eyes are on them, the stakes are so much higher when they are taken to task and there SO much more media out there ready to pounce on anything that might be of interest to anyone. All of us have feet made of clay, we are all sinners. I think the question is why would anyone have higher expectations from those who are in the public eye? And why have we chosen entertainers as someone to look up to or listen to?

 

[MrJim]

I guess I expect those of exceptional talents/abilities/gifts to be a more disciplined class of people...

 

[Auntie]

I guess I expect those of exceptional talents/abilities/gifts to be a more disciplined class of people...

And it used to be that way, Jim.
Imagine Billy Graham hitting his wife Ruth,........not in a million years.

I dunno, when I was a kid, most folks had a healthy fear of God.
That's not so true anymore.

 

[Canuckmom]

I don't care for "Christian" celebrities, what picks me is the way it's always the man's fault. What did she do?? It takes two to fight. The media is guilty of keeping silence about the fact that family violence is not limited to men; women are just as frequently guilty - we just don't hear about it.

 

[desmalia]

I guess I expect those of exceptional talents/abilities/gifts to be a more disciplined class of people...

Well,.... ya. And I think even far beyond that, when a Christian becomes famous, that is a greatly increased responsibility and one must be held to greater accountability. It's the same with athletes, and other famous people (Hey, check with Kirk Cameron, I'll bet ya he can tell you about that!). There's a standard that must be held; it's a great responsibility that must be taken extremely seriously. Yet few in the "Christian music" realm do take that very seriously. Of course many in that realm are not really Christians at all, but in fact just musicians looking for a break into the industry, but I digress...

Regarding this issue, it looks like a he-said, she-said situation, and he could in fact be innocent of her charges. We just can't know. What does concern me is that they've divorced in the first place, and are now in this nasty custody battle. Wonderful example for believers (sorry for the sarcasm here, I just get so frustrated by this stuff!). What happened to taking this to the church body? And even before that, what about honouring the covenant you made with your spouse and God??? Yes, we are all sinners. But if any of us are going to take on such a leadership role (which fame requires), that responsibility must be considered VERY carefully first. I'm not sure if that's been done in this case.

 

[CruciFixed]

I don't care for "Christian" celebrities, what picks me is the way it's always the man's fault. What did she do?? It takes two to fight. The media is guilty of keeping silence about the fact that family violence is not limited to men; women are just as frequently guilty - we just don't hear about it.

I agree that we dont hear it as much. I think the media likes to be pro womens lib until they want to make us look weak and defenseless. I'm not condoning violence as my husband never ever hits me and I will admit I've flinched and pulled away after saying something to him that had he been another woman I would've been hit and hard. My natural instincts to protect my face at times let me know I'm wrong.
He never gave me reason to feel insecure or frightened. I just do it....odd behavior I know.
My point is some women go too far, know they are going too far and keep pushing the red button. I will never condone abuse. I'm just saying...

I still expect more from a Christian celeb than say Chris Brown

 

[Nadiine]

I don't think they are any more prone to failure than the rest of us - it's just so many more eyes are on them, the stakes are so much higher when they are taken to task and there SO much more media out there ready to pounce on anything that might be of interest to anyone. All of us have feet made of clay, we are all sinners. I think the question is why would anyone have higher expectations from those who are in the public eye? And why have we chosen entertainers as someone to look up to or listen to?

The standards are higher becuz MORE people view them as God's
representatives - they put themselves in that place by their
celebrity.

Just like a Pastor/teacher has a greater responsibility.
Sure all of us screw up, but celebrity screw ups get publicized
to everyone and more people are affected by seeing them
fail. This is why Christianity gets a bad name too - the world
starts viewing us as equally unchristian as they are.
It becomes a joke.

 

[ladyt28]

The standards are higher becuz MORE people view them as God's
representatives - they put themselves in that place by their
celebrity.

But aren't WE the ones who define "celebrity" through the way we respond to information about them? Again, why do we comply with viewing entertainers as celebrity? What exactly is there to 'celebrate'? I seriously question the validity of putting so much stock into someone who merely sings or acts.

 

[Nadiine]

But aren't WE the ones who define "celebrity" through the way we respond to information about them? Again, why do we comply with viewing entertainers as celebrity? What exactly is there to 'celebrate'? I seriously question the validity of putting so much stock into someone who merely sings or acts.

This has nothing to do with me or the church...
the world puts this much stock into celebrity.
In fact, I've been hearing specialists in psychiatry noting that
this generation moreso than many others in the past almost
worship celebrity in this culture today.

They're obsessed with them and it's no wonder they're copying
them so closely.

But anyone that has notariety has a greater responsibility in how
they conduct themselves if claiming to be Christians.
More people view it and it's publicized more.
If Joe Blow down the street from you pushes his wife, most
likely a handful of people will know about it.

If a popular Christian singer does it, it's plastered on the news
everywhere and thousands or hundreds of thousands find out
about it.

Look what happened w/ Amy Grant.

 

[desmalia]

I agree, Nadiine. There are certain careers that are going to put people in the spotlight, such as singing, acting, pro sports, etc. When anyone is working towards a career like that, they really need to consider the responsibility of the position. Anyone who actively puts himself or herself into the public eye knows what they are doing and must consider very seriously how they conduct themselves every day, and further, seek solid accountability to help keep them from stumbling. Not only does that stumbling have a greater impact, but it is actually more likely to happen due to the pressures and indulgences of fame.

 

[ladyt28]

This has nothing to do with me or the church...
the world puts this much stock into celebrity.
......................................................
Look what happened w/ Amy Grant.

Do you not see the irony of your first sentence? Who do you think makes up the world? We Do!!

And why look at Amy Grant? All she does is sing well and sells a lot of music - she's not my pastor, she's not anyone I receive teachings from, she's not part of my neighborhood or family, she's done nothing for me to pay attention to what is happening in her personal life. Yeah, I get it, she sings Christian music but again - so what? She sings music I may listen to more than others, that's about it. Being "in the public eye" is a choice that you and I make - they don't focus on people that no one cares about.

And you make comment to "this generation". Which generation are you referring to because I see it in our own generation - is that the one you are referring to? As a nation, we started the worship of celebrity a long time ago and we have to take responsibility for the fact that gossip & celebrity magazines took off like a rocket. And who's surprised that it got worse with each generation - no one is innocent enough to tell the next generation that celebrity worship is wrong. And which generation do you think started the habit of allowing their kids to park in front of the tv for hours on end effectively allowing it to dictate who our children focus on? Nope, we better look in the mirror if we want to see who bears responsibility.

 

[LovebirdsFlying]

Possible food for thought: I once heard in a sermon that Satan works harder on leaders than he does on the rest of us. If he can get the BeBe Winanses and the Amy Grants and the Jimmy Swaggarts to crash and burn publicly, then one of two things will happen: Either some Christians will figure, if they can do that, so can I, and follow the celebrity down, or people on the brink of accepting Christ will decide it's all a bunch of hooey, and reject it.

It makes sense to me that, the more eyes watching, the more stumbling blocks Satan will throw in.

 

[Nadiine]

Do you not see the irony of your first sentence? Who do you think makes up the world? We Do!!

And why look at Amy Grant? All she does is sing well and sells a lot of music - she's not my pastor, she's not anyone I receive teachings from, she's not part of my neighborhood or family, she's done nothing for me to pay attention to what is happening in her personal life. Yeah, I get it, she sings Christian music but again - so what? She sings music I may listen to more than others, that's about it. Being "in the public eye" is a choice that you and I make - they don't focus on people that no one cares about.

And you make comment to "this generation". Which generation are you referring to because I see it in our own generation - is that the one you are referring to? As a nation, we started the worship of celebrity a long time ago and we have to take responsibility for the fact that gossip & celebrity magazines took off like a rocket. And who's surprised that it got worse with each generation - no one is innocent enough to tell the next generation that celebrity worship is wrong. And which generation do you think started the habit of allowing their kids to park in front of the tv for hours on end effectively allowing it to dictate who our children focus on? Nope, we better look in the mirror if we want to see who bears responsibility.

Sorry, I have no idea why you're going down this path when
it's a fact that ALL entertainment and news people are reported
on when they do something or when something happens to
them.
It IS news, you don't have to be idolizing anyone for it to be
cultural news.

One other point I'd like to make is that if it weren't for me
finding this thread this morning, I wouldn't have even known
about this becuz I didn't hear it reported anywhere....

The fact is that they are news - whether idolized or not.
Esp. a Christian falling from grace.

Idolizing celebrity is a separate issue imo.